


Let's Get Physical

by Anotherlostblogger



Category: Buzzfeed The Try Guys (Web Series), Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi, Physical Therapist Ryan AU, Physical Therapy, Threesome - F/M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2020-02-18 16:38:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18703402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anotherlostblogger/pseuds/Anotherlostblogger
Summary: Ned is a burgeoning new dad, and a lot of that responsibility and preparation involved has paid off: the new house, the nursery, the daddy lessons...the one thing that's remained has been the results of a knee surgery he's had to undergo, and the resulting physical therapy thereafter. Feeling discouraged, Ned finds himself under the care of Ryan, a fresh-faced and positive physical therapist who helps Ned get a new lease on life.





	Let's Get Physical

**Author's Note:**

  * For [poiregourmande](https://archiveofourown.org/users/poiregourmande/gifts).



Ned's had a fucked up knee for a while now, that's nothing new.

It kept him from things he used to like to do: like playing any other position aside from goalie, or getting too riled up doing some of the more exercise-based events the Try Guys loved to do. 

What _was_ new, however, was that he's left his stable job for a risky venture, moved houses, and was about to have his first baby with his wife-all in a matter of months-and something else has to change.

There's been a surgery that his doctor had recommended to him before that he had been, admittedly, a little scared of having until the prospect of the baby (Wesley if a boy, Brianne if a girl) really gave him time to think about the kind of dad he wanted to be to their future child.

So in no time at all, he was squeezing Ariel's hand goodbye and going under anesthesia, being wheeled out into a white light.

***

That sounds dramatic, but in some ways thats how it felt. 

It was certainly better than how he felt when he first woke up.

_Throb. Throb. Throb._

Someone was moaning in pain, someone nearby, it was so loud, it was like he was in his head.

It was too bright. Someone touched the IV next to his bed, and things didn't feel so bad after that.

***

It was still glowing the second time he woke up, but it was different. There were a bunch of beings in white, walking around and talking, a woman with blonde hair held his hand. He thought she was an angel.

He might have said as much out loud because she smiled.

***

When it was all over, he was somewhere in between, in that fuzzy warm uncomfortable space where he knew he was in a hospital bed, and he knew why, and things didn't hurt so bad anymore but he just wanted to go home. 

Ariel had just gone to run an errand and was going to be gone for an hour, but it felt like forever. 

He was still lying there like that when _he_ came in, wearing a neat button-down shirt and khaki-slacks, and a sweet expression on his face.

"Hi, Mr. Fulmer, I'm Ryan Bergara, and I'm going to be your physical therapist," the handsome man said after double-checking his patient's chart on the frame of his bed. 

 After meeting an endless stream of nurses and doctors, Ned couldn't quite put a finger on why this one was special, except that he was cute, and that seeing a PT probably meant they were going to get to leave soon. 

"I know you're probably not really feeling up to it today," his physical therapist began, and Ned fought the urge to sink back into his pillow, fueling that doubt and anxiety into a heck of a lot of blustering confidence. 

"Naw, I can do whatever you need me to do," Ned boasted before wincing because he sat up too fast. 

"Hmm," the other man said dubiously, setting his clipboard aside. He had big sweet eyes that didn't seem to line up with those big sweet biceps he had going on under that shirt. Ned felt like Ryan could possibly Yeet him across the room if he wanted to (now _that_ was something he could send to Dude Perfect). 

 "Can you bend your knee for me?"

Ned gulped, looking at where his leg was lying beneath the bedclothes to be examined at will by the medical personnel, and then nodded. He started to lift his leg and almost immediately found himself gritting his teeth in pain. In a moment he was dropping his leg back down to the bed, suddenly exhausted.

"Hey, thats okay, that was good," Ryan told him, coming over to peel back the sheet, examining his leg up close beneath the heavy bandaging so that Ned caught a glimpse of blue and green puffy tissue. "I know it doesn't look-or feel- awesome," Ryan told him. "But part of my job is just to help you get back that strength...not to work _past_ the pain, necessarily—because we don't want you to cause any more serious damage to your leg—but to work _against_ it."

"Against the pain, huh," Ned said, trying to feel as encouraged as Ryan looked. 

"Mhmm," Ryan said, already looking back down at his records. "I wouldn't worry about it, you'll have some medication, too."

"Right," Ned found himself saying, an already sinking feeling pushing down into his gut. "Great." 

"But I'll be working with you as you get better," he gave another glance at his leg and said, "Well, once the swelling goes down...as you've just had the surgery, it's not up to me when you'll be sent home, but I have a feeling you won't be stuck here for too long." 

That was a little encouraging. 

He was sent back home in a cast, his wife pushed the hospital's wheelchair as he held the paper bag of pills in his lap.

He swallowed when he thought about taking them, and tried to think about literally anything else.

***

 Ned had a history with pain medication.

When he originally hurt his knee in 2012, it was bad. Like, infected, landed up in the hospital for 3-weeks and then could only laze around at home and play video games bad.

At first, that part of the recovery didn't seem so terrible. The meds left him in a fuzzy, not-too-horrible place, and he generally liked gaming... the only thing was, that became the only thing he did.

It was addictive, and he couldn't really stop for months. 

He'd had Ariel back then, and luckily she'd been able to help him get out of that dark place...but now she was pregnant. 

It was hard not to worry that this was going to happen again, and then what would they do? 

***

He was supposed to have a week off his knee, icing his knee and taking the pills and then things were supposed to get back to normal.

Which is kind of what happened. 

He bought himself a PS4 because Daddy needed to treat himself sometimes, and he spent a lot of time playing Red Dead Redemption. 

One week of this really wouldn’t be so bad. 

***

Week two rolled around and he still felt about the same he had felt before so he gave himself a bit of a pep talk and allowed that week to go by the same way. Aside from the occasional visit from friends he hardly left the couch, much less the house. 

The same thing happened week three. 

The pills were running out, but instead of refilling them, Ned threw the bottle out.

At first he felt like a hero, ready to fight against the pain.

Now he was beginning to regret it. 

By the fourth week, when he was ready to get his sutures out, he still couldn’t do much more than hobble around without getting exhausted, Ned was beginning to seriously get discouraged. 

He had just had them removed, and was trying to catch his breath on the bed-table when he saw him again. 

"Ned Fulmer?" Ryan asked, peeking into his room, and Ned waved a weary hand. "That's me."

Feeling exhausted and definitively Not Cute today, of course was the day he would run into Ryan and his big arms.

"This must be your wife," Ryan said, beaming at the now very pregnant Ariel who shook his hand, introducing herself.

Ryan smiled, looking between the two of them. "How has the healing process been?" 

"Not awesome," Ned confessed, feeling a lump in his throat. "I mean...it's taken forever for the swelling to go down, and I feel about as shit as I did weeks ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Ryan said, and he looked like he meant it. "Sometimes there are complications...would you mind if I took a look?"

Ned gave a little shrug and pointed at his bare knee that was shown just below the fabric of the loose shorts that had become his go-to fashion choice the past few weeks. "Go right ahead."

Ryan touches his leg gingerly, reaching just underneath the knee to gently raise and bend it, and Ned sucks in a breath. Almost immediately Ryan carefully lets go. 

"You okay?"

Ned nods, but he already feels on the brink of tears. He can feel Ariel reach out to touch him, and admittedly he soaks up the comfort like a sponge, trying not to do something embarrassing like cry in public.

"Is it the pain?" Ryan asks softly.

"Kind of," Ned says shakily, and his voice is growing thicker by the second. "Its just...I had this surgery entirely voluntarily, and it was supposed to be simple but...but what if it doesn't get better? What if it just gets worse, and then I can never play soccer again or play with my future kids or-or-"

"Hey," Ryan reaches out and gives his shoulder a squeeze. "It's totally normal to be a little scared, but I'm going to help you out, and you're going to get better, okay?"

Ned can't imagine it, but he equally can't imagine telling Ryan no. "Okay."

Ryan gives him  a little wink, "We'll get you out on the soccer field in no time."

It felt like that would take a miracle.

 ***

Two weeks later and they were on a soccer field, back in the goalie position. Ned was wearing a loose comfortable shirt and his uniform, breathing hard, the ball in his hands. 

Across from him were the dark eyes of his opponent, his nemesis, his...physical therapist.

"Now, to the right," Ryan said, and Ned crab-walked to the right, the ball out in his hands. "And, squat."

Ryan would do the exercises with him, in front of him, to give him an idea of what to do, sometimes coming around to correct his posture so he didn't strain anything unnecessarily. 

Sometimes he'd even turn around so Ned could follow him from behind, and he'd find himself staring way more than what could be deemed appropriate at his ass. 

Ned had always been proud of his ass, but Ryan had to have buns of steel, doing all those perfect squats like that.  

Admittedly, he'd never loved squats in the first place, but now they were torture. 

Sexy, sexy torture. 

Ryan was wearing a jersey and basketball shorts, which, okay, was for the wrong sport, but his arms looked incredible. 

"Do I have to hold the ball?" Ned whined after a bit, and Ryan sent him a rakish grin. He barely looked like he was breaking a sweat. Asshole. 

"It'll help you with your balance," Ryan told him for the third time. "But if you really need a break..."

When he phrased it that way, there was nothing Ned could do but suffer through it: "No, no, I'm good," he'd say through gritted teeth. His pride always got in the way. 

"You know, this isn't what I had in mind when you said we were going to the soccer field," Ned couldn't help complaining, and Ryan laughed.

"We're building up your strength, remember?" Ryan would say, "Maybe we can try kicking next week."

That already made him feel so much more encouraged that Ned didn't complain for the rest of the day.

 *** 

Every other day he was at the gym pool during the special hours in the evenings, where the elderly, disabled and currently-working-through-some-shit people got the whole heated space to themselves. It was under Ryan's orders, and really, it was nice.

In the water, you could do so many things you couldn't do elsewhere.

He could float and feel weightless, and even if he bent his knee a little weird he wasn't putting too much pressure on it so it wasn't even that bad.

When she was up to it, Ariel came with him, floating around with her big baby bump right next to him, and Ned felt more at peace than he had in weeks.

"You seem happy," Ariel told him one night, and Ned couldn't help but smile. "I am happy," he said.

They shared a quick kiss, and when they pulled back, Ariel's eyes were sparkling. 

"Ryan's pretty cute," she said mischievously.

"Ugh, tell me about it," Ned teased back, and she laughed, warm and loud. It echoed in the gym, but thankfully there were enough voices already reverberating off the walls that nobody appeared to be listening in.

"I'm glad he's been able to help you," Ariel said more seriously, and Ned took her hands, "I want to be able to help you, too."

"You will," Ariel told him, and he kissed her again.

"You know," she began slyly, "You should invite him here sometime." 

"You think?" Ned asked.

"He'd look really good without a shirt on," she said, sounding giddy at the thought and he burst out laughing. 

"I'll see what I can do."

 *** 

When it was kicking day, Ryan had a stream of soccer balls that he would place in front of Ned that he could go from, kicking them as hard as he could manage, ten in a row.

It was like he was back in college again, training, though Coach Myers was definitely not this cute...or this encouraging, for that matter.

"You got this, Ned," Ryan cheered, and Ned made his way to the first ball. It was not the best kick he's ever done, but by the third one, he felt a little twinge. By the tenth he had to sit down in the grass, panting, while Ryan came back over to check his knee. Luckily it hadn't gone out of its socket like it used to do pre-surgery, but it was definitely throbbing. 

"Does it hurt?" Ryan asked, examining him, and Ned shook his head, panting. "No...I mean, not too bad."

"That's good," Ryan said, "Well, we can take a little break for a sec and then work something out..."

Ned flopped down on the grass on his back and nodded, looking up at the clouds as they passed overhead. "Sounds good."

Ryan laughed. "How's the aqua therapy going?"

"Good," Ned replied seriously. "Its been really nice."

"Oh, good."

Peering up at Ryan who was now sitting back resting with his hands buried in the turf, Ned suddenly got a weird burst of courage. 

"My wife wanted to know if you ever wanted to come with us." If Ryan responded weird, Ned could always blame it on the exhaustion or the pain or something.

"To the pool?" Ryan echoed in surprise. "You know, I'm not certified in swim-therapy, but I could probably help you find someone who-"

"No, no," Ned said, "Not as my therapist...as a friend."

Ryan blinked at him in surprise. "Oh." It might have been the light but he looked flushed now.

"I mean," Ned said, feeling self conscious, "Obviously you don't have to-"

"No, no," Ryan said, beaming as he reached over to give his shoulder a squeeze. "I'd like that."

"How about...tomorrow night?"

Ryan tilted his head, mentally looking at his calendar, "Yeah, you know, tomorrow night works."

"Awesome," Ned said, grinning back. "It's a date."

Ryan laughed in surprise and Ned colored, "Er, I mean-"

"I'm not sure your wife would like that," Ryan teased him, and Ned just gave him a wry grin in return. "You'd be surprised."

Ryan just laughed again, showing his perfect smile, and then he reached down to give him a hand, and they got back to work.

***

 Ariel wasn't wrong.

Ryan looked great shirtless.

He had just wandered in and waved, taking off his shirt in front of them like some sort of GQ super model, and then went around to lie his stuff on one of the arm chairs while the Fulmers tried not to visibly drool. 

"Oh my god," she said, squeezing Ned's bicep so tightly he winced. 

"Hey," Ned said, "Careful, or I'll need therapy for my arm next." 

"That wouldn't be so bad," Ariel said, and Ned laughed.

"His biceps have gone to your head."

"I wish," she said, sounding yearning and Ned found himself blushing in response. Pregnant Ariel, as it turned out, was a very horny Ariel. 

Now, they'd been together since college, and they'd always told each other when they had crushes and on who, and it had never been a problem... they never acted on them, of course, but at most they'd sort of role-played or talked it out in bed, which had added a little spice to their long relationship. 

With his leg, they had been limited on what they could do over the past few months, so really they could put a lot of their thanks to the return of their sex life in Ryan's very capable hands.

"Try not to be so obviously thirsty," Ned muttered in her ear, as they watched Ryan wade out into the water towards them.

"I'm pregnant, Ned," she said back at him, "Everyone knows we're sexless sweethearts."

"Hmm," Ned said dubiously, a very distinct visual of last night coming to mind, but anything else he might have said was immediately choked off by the image of Ryan swimming right up to them.

"Hey!" Ryan said, and, to his surprise, he gave them both a hug.

Ned tried not to freak out by how nice it felt to have their bare chests pressed together, his chin resting on Ryan's shoulder for the briefest of moments, while he smelled his aftershave. Shit, shit, fuck, shit.

Ariel looked...frankly, high, after the experience. 

"Thanks for inviting me," Ryan gushed. "I don't usually hang out with my clients but...Ned told me I was his friend, so," he had this shit-eating grin, soaking up Ariel's "awww," in return.

"Of course," Ariel said, giving Ned a look that said, 'Why didn't you tell me he was also a sweetheart??'

"You've gone above and beyond to help my husband, of course you're our friend."

"That's really sweet of you," Ryan said, bouncing a little in the water. "Anything it'll take to help this guy be Daddy ready."

When Ryan turned to smile at Ned, Ariel sent him a very inappropriate look, which Ned tried his best to ignore.

"I appreciate it," he said with a nervous laugh.

"Speaking of," Ryan said, "When is the littlest Fulmer due?"

"Two months," Ariel said, glowing and Ryan looked genuinely thrilled a the prospect. The more they talked about family stuff, the more it was clear that he wasn't just making polite conversation. 

"Do you have a special someone, Ryan?" Ariel asked, managing to ask the question Ned had always been too sheepish to ask.

"Not right now," Ryan said wistfully. "But I can't wait to be a dad."

"That's amazing," Ariel said, and Ned could see it, the man was incredibly nurturing. 

"You'll have to come over and see Wes when he's born," Ned said, and Ryan lit up.

"Wes?" he asked in a cute voice. 

"Ned," Ariel reprimanded lightly...they had been waiting since her last doctor's visit on telling everyone the gender of the baby and Ned gave a little "Oops."

"No, it's okay," Ariel said, "Yeah, we're having a little boy."

"That's so exciting, oh my gosh," Ryan gushed. "I'd love to see your baby."

Ned and Ariel laughed, and Ryan blushed a little. "Sorry, I guess I got a little excited-"

"No, no, it's really cute," Ariel said. "You're going to make someone really happy one day."

Ryan just beamed back. "I hope so."

Ariel had that look in her eyes again, but this time Ned didn't even bother trying to stop her.

"You already make this guy so much happier than he used to be," Ariel proclaimed and it was Ned's turn to flush, but he didn't duck away from the claim. 

"It's true," he said giving a little shrug. "I already feel so much better than even a few weeks ago."

Ryan looked like he might cry over the thought of it, but instead he pulled Ned into another hug.

From over Ryan's shoulder Ariel just winked. 

"You guys are so great," Ryan said. "I'm happy to help in any way I can."

Ned was afraid to look at his wife for _that._

"We should be thanking you, not the other way around-"

"Have dinner with us?" Ariel asked and Ryan looked flattered at the idea. 

Looking at the blond couple bobbing in the water in front of him, Ryan, stupidly handsome Ryan, gave them a grin and an answer.

"I'd love to."


End file.
